Weldon, npr blogger, critic, and comics expert, considers not only the man of steels adventures and achievements, but also his. Weldon notes that even though the writers at dc comics kept superman who makes a habit of saving metropolis far away from the september 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, fans placed him in new. Superman the unauthorized biography ebook by glen weldon. It really bogged down as weldon delved into the endless crises and reboots that have plagued dc comics over the past couple of decades. Hes insightful and funny, the perfect person to guide someone through the confusing, 75year history of the man of tomorrow, which is what he does in superman. This acclaimed book by glen weldon is available at in several formats for your ereader. The caped crusade audiobook by glen weldon official publisher. How superman gave rise to superhero movies 40 years ago. Read superman the unauthorized biography by glen weldon available from rakuten kobo. The character is constantly iterated and reiterated, because he doesnt have what makes a story a story. The image that has built up around superman is so well known and has become so iconic that the man of steel may be the most famous fictional creation of the 20th century. Weldon weaves a golden thread through decades of the superheros exploits in all their myriad manifestations. Browning, series editor the cspan archives, located adjacent to purdue university, is the home of.
Weldon currently writes for the npr arts desk and is a panelist on the podcast pop culture happy hour pchh with stephen thompson and linda holmes. Reviewer elizabeth graham says weldon s survey of the man of steels many lives in superman. The unauthorized biography, lays out batmans seventyeightyear cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong. Glen weldon is an american writer, cultural critic, and podcaster.
After 75 years, an untarnished reputation for americas. By glen weldon this fascinating biography examines superman as a cultural phenomenon through 75 years of actionpacked adventures, from his early years as a social activist in circus tights to his growth into the internationally renowned demigod he is today. Starting with a look at supermans goodytwoshoes re. The unauthorized biography by glen weldon goodreads. How has he changed with the times, and what essential aspects of him have remained constant. Superman, orson scott card and me by glen weldon feb 17, 20 lets make this perfectly clear at the outset. These things create a perfect storm of obsession, and one that results in me having a brain full of battrivia that i dont necessarily want, let alone need. Weldon is a contributor to nprs podcast pop culture happy hour. Frank millers take on superman is all about truth and. Why batman is the ultimate lightning rod for nerd rage wired. The unauthorized biography by glen weldon is a nonfiction book chronicling the fictional history of the man of steel in comic books, radio, tv, theater, music and movies. Hardcore superman fans will find little that surprises them in this book, but weldon has done a great job of digging to find all manner of supesrelated material, from. A celebration of superman s life and historyin time for his 75th birthdayhow has the big blue boy scout stayed so popular for so long. I vividly remember the day i raced home from the navy exchange to beg, borrow or steal the money to buy superman vs.
Well, superman kept his secret pretty well in his comic book world until now. Over those years, hes moved from rebel to establishmentarian to fogey to oddballtracking the history of our times. Im a regular panelist on nprs pop culture happy hour podcast and i contribute to nprs pop culture blog monkey see my second book,the caped crusade. The unauthorized biography kindle edition by weldon, glen.
Well, theres the character of superman and theres the idea of superman. He has written for publications such as the washington post, the new york times, slate, the atlantic, and mcsweeneys. Fans of lois herself and books like glen weldon s superman. A celebration of supermans life and historyin time for his 75th birthda. In a superman comic out today, the man of steel reveals his secret identity to the public. The unauthorized biography, sat down with newshour political editor christina bellantoni to walk through the evolution of the cape, the belt, the pants and the m. Glen weldon is a regular panelist on nprs pop culture happy hour podcast. A celebration of superman s life and history in time for his 75th birthdayhow has the big blue boy scout stayed so popular for so long. Before he was dubbed the man of steel, superman was often referred to as the champion of the oppressed, according to glen weldon, author of superman.
Written with humor, wit and a genuine love of the subject, glen weldon s biography of superman is a pleasure to read. The following are excepts from the book superman by glen weldon. How has he changed, isbn 9781118341841 buy the superman. Investigating lois lane independent publishers group. Superman ebook by glen weldon 9781118483824 rakuten kobo. Read batman, superman, and philosophy badass or boyscout. Written by glen weldon, an npr comics writer and cohost of the pop culture happy hour podcast, superman is at its best when weldon is digging into the adjustments made to the character to fit each era. Superman the unauthorized biography 1st edition by glen weldon and publisher wiley turner publishing.
Glen weldon is a panelist on national public radios pop culture happy hour and contributes to its monkey see blog. Dc made superman returns, and it wasnt what they thought it should be, then they made batman begins, and it was huge, and. The unauthorized biography, told the christian post that since superman creators jerry siegel and joe shuster were both jewish, intentional christian ideation or allegory was unlikely. With mullet or with monkey, everyone knows superman. Over the course of his career, he has spent time as a theater critic, a science writer, an oral historian, a writing teacher, a bookstore clerk, a pr flack, a completely inept marine biologist, and a slightly betterept competitive swimmer.
Its a deep dive into the history of the character, but i hope its more than. The unauthorized biography or jill lepores the secret history of wonder woman will enjoy hanleys engaging, affectionate telling of lois story, but its worth picking up even if youve never read a comic book before. Nprs glen weldon says its a rare change to superman s status quo and one thats likely to stick. Buy products such as 50 random dc comic books superman, batman, the flash. Superman was the film that made me run through the streets afterwards with my arms raised in front of me, gimbaling left and right in. Npr comics critic glen weldon has a new, comprehensive biography of the classic american hero. He basically wrote about the development of the comic strip character superman from his creation in 1938 to presentday. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading superman.
How superman and the american way have changed since the. As superman turns 75, what better time to look back over his life. The unauthorized biography, lays out batmans 78year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong. Nevertheless, said weldon, that doesnt mean people cant see in the characterelements of christian theology. You can change region by clicking the flag in the toolbar. Glen weldon s book is a roaring getaway car of guilty pleasures film gossip, comicbook esoterica, tales of nerd rage for more than batfans.
In the caped crusade, npr critic glen weldon details the history of batman and nerd culture in a fun read for fans and casual observers alike. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. That may be part of the reason it took me the better part of a year to get around to reading glen weldon s latest book the caped crusade. Batman, superman, and philosophy ebook by 9780812699227. Caped crusade, batman and the rise of nerd culture by glen weldon. The caped crusade details the cultural history of batman. Glen weldon covers comics for nprs monkey see blog and is also the resident comics expert on the pop culture happy hour podcast. Download and read books by glen weldon in pdf, epub, mobi formats for iphone, mac and ipad. Superman, orson scott card and me npr contributor glen weldon talks about why he, a superman nerd and a gay man, wont be reading a new iteration of the man of steel penned by. The unauthorized biography kindle edition by weldon.
274 1138 1007 1053 860 1060 1329 1351 929 1374 520 687 1026 918 1249 1305 790 1484 846 1381 1609 1183 75 573 603 1443 1591 434 722 1177 111 1395 297 201 1290 1156 1439